1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover apparatus in a portable apparatus such as a digital camera. To be more specific, it relates to a cover apparatus for protecting a to-be-protected portion including at least an opening portion of a recording medium storage chamber and an electric member, and also a digital camera information apparatus provided with the cover apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a data recording medium for recording image data or voice data applied to a portable apparatus such as a digital camera is structured to be manually inserted/removed into/from a recording medium storage chamber provided in a apparatus housing. Then, it should be noted that if an automatic ejecting mechanism or the like for the data recoding medium is provide in the apparatus housing, the size of the apparatus housing is inevitably increased, and the consumption of a battery is also increased.
As stated above, in a apparatus having a structure in which insertion/removable of a data recording medium is manually carried out, there is a risk that the user may mistakenly eject the data recording medium from the apparatus to the outside. If the data recording medium is ejected to the outside of the apparatus during access, there is a risk that data being written in the recording medium may be broken, and in addition the recording medium itself may be broken as the case may be.
In order to avoid such a situation, in the portable apparatus such as the digital camera, an opening portion or the like of the recording medium storage chamber is closed by a protection cover, a lock mechanism or the like. Thereby, unnecessary ejecting of the data recording medium is inhibited.
For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-203921 discloses a digital camera wherein an opening portion of a recording medium storage chamber is covered by an openable cover, and a sensor (memory card cover switch) for detecting opening/closing of the cover is provided. In the digital camera, when opening of the cover is detected, a writing/reading operation (access) is inhibited, and when the cover is opened during access, an operation being presently performed is forcibly ended by control, thereby protecting the data recording medium.
The portable apparatus such as the digital camera has some portions which are preferably to be shielded from the outside, apart from the time of using the apparatus, in addition to the opening portion of the recording medium storage chamber. For example, since a DC jack for supplying of power and a connector (USB (registered trademark), NTSC) for data inputting/outputting, etc. have conducive members, there is a risk that they may be damaged at an early stage by dirt, raindrops or the like, if they are exposed to the outside at all times.
In order to avoid occurrence of the above situation, if a cover for protecting the connector portion or the like is provided in addition to the cover for closing the opening portion of the recording medium storage chamber, there is a possibility that the size of a compact portable apparatus such as the digital camera, which is indispensably required to be compact, may be increased.
Such a problem is solved by a technique disclosed in, e.g., Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-131745, which discloses an electron camera structured to simultaneously protect an opening portion of the recording medium storage chamber and a connector portion, etc. arranged close to the opening portion by covering both these portions with a single cover. This digital camera is desirable in order that increasing of the size of the apparatus be prevented. However, unnecessary ejecting of the data recording medium cannot be inhibited in the case where the apparatus is used while the cover is open, in order that the apparatus be used while a cable for connection of an external apparatus is connected to the connector portion, etc.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-165714 discloses a camera wherein a card lock lever for inhibiting insertion/removal of a card is provided in a card cover in order to prevent the recording medium from being mistakenly ejected. In addition, the camera includes means for moving the card lock lever to a lock position in interlock with closing of the card cover.
Furthermore, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-256748 discloses a double-cover structure of a stereo set in which a switch is provided adjacent to a recording medium storage chamber. In the double-cover structure, an inside cover (small cover) is provided at an opening portion of the recording medium storage chamber, an outside cover (large cover) is provided outward of the inside cover, and the inside cover is pushed and closed by the outside cover, when the outside cover is closed.
In an apparatus in which a card lock lever for inhibiting insertion/removal of a card is provided in a card cover as disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-165714, an inside protection member for preventing a recording medium from being mistakenly ejected is provided independent of an outside protection member provided to cover an entire portion to be protected. The same is true of an apparatus in which an inside cover (small cover) is provided at an opening portion of a recording medium storage chamber, and an outside cover (large cover) is provided outward of the inside cover, thereby achieving a double-cover structure, as disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-256748.
In the above structure, the size of a portable apparatus such as a digital camera is not increased, and the inside protection member can prevent from the data recording medium from being mistakenly ejected, regardless of whether the outside protection member is opened or closed.